Stronghold Games is adding to its aggressive 2018 release schedule with the announcement of three new titles: SteamRollers and Gold Fever in June and Paper Tales in July.

SteamRollers, created by Mark Gerrits (Mini Rails), is a railroad building game set in the boom times that followed the American Civil War. The players are investors buying into the new technology, building networks of rail lines, investing in newer and better steam locomotives, and competing for delivery contracts. The game uses a “roll & write” mechanic, based on a set of dice that determine what actions are available, with players recording their accomplishments on their own player sheet.

The game comes with 200 player sheets, 7 dice, 56 goods cubes, 1 cloth bag, 1 supply board, 1 player aid, 1 first player marker, and 18 tiles. It is suitable for 1 to 5 players, ages 10 and up, and plays in a little over half an hour. MSRP is $49.95.

In Daniel Skjold Pedersen’s (13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis) Gold Fever, players are prospecting for gold by pulling nuggets out of their own bag. The goal is to be the first to pull a total of five nuggets. Players can “push their luck,” pulling more stones out of the bag, but if they get too much gravel they’ll lose the gold they’ve collected.

Intended as a “filler” or family-friendly party game, Gold Fever can support 2 to 5 players, ages 7 and up, and plays in less than half an hour. The game includes 100 plastic stones and 5 cloth bags. MSRP is $29.95.

Simultaneous card drafting is the heart of Paper Tales. Players try to recruit characters and units from throughout the history of a fantasy kingdom, deploying them in battle to earn income that is used to build buildings and earn “legend points.” As the game goes on, older units become weaker, forcing players to replenish their forces by drafting new forces.

Paper Tales was created by Masato Uesugi (Welcome to the Dungeon, Lost Legacy: Second Chronicle) and comes with 111 cards featuring artwork by Christine Alcouffe, 1 score track, 6 wooden tokens, and 70 other tokens. This game is for 2 to 5 players, ages 12 and up, and plays in half an hour. MSRP is $45.00, and Stronghold is offering a “buy 5 get 1 free” deal exclusively to brick and mortar stores.

2018 is shaping up to be a busy year for Stronghold, currently in the middle of a move to new offices while expanding its core staff in addition to planning a number of new releases (see “Stronghold Games Levels Up in 2018”).